Situations when the stomach hurts in the navel are very dangerous. This condition may indicate the development of various diseases. Everything is further complicated by the fact that a person cannot indicate in which particular area of \u200b\u200bthe abdomen he feels pain. It seems to him that the spasm does not have a clear localization. The pain seems to be spreading all over the abdomen.
Determining the cause of such a phenomenon can be quite difficult. Let's try to figure it out. Why can the stomach hurt in the navel and what to do in such a situation.
Where does it hurt?
There are many causes of abdominal pain in the navel. Before proceeding to identify them, it is worth answering a few questions:
- Where exactly is the pain located (the navel itself, above or below it)?
- What is the nature of the pain (pulling, sharp)?
- How muchis she strong?
- Are there any factors that make the pain worse?
Next, consider the possible diseases during which the stomach hurts in the navel in adults.
Acute intestinal pathologies
In this case, abdominal pain in the navel may be accompanied by flatulence. As a rule, drugs such as activated charcoal, Smecta, or products with simethicone can easily cope with them.
Intestinal diseases can have different etiologies: parasitic, viral, bacterial. In cases where they become chronic, abdominal pain in the navel becomes pulling and constant. At the same time, there is an increase in an unpleasant symptom during eating.
Chronic enteritis
In this disease, the pain can be described as aching and dull. It does not depend on food intake. As a rule, with chronic enteritis, patients feel heaviness after a heavy dinner. In some cases, bloating and loss of appetite are also observed.
In addition to pain, chronic enteritis is accompanied by symptoms such as:
- weakness;
- brittle nails;
- dry skin;
- bleeding gums;
- fatigue.
The cause of the disease is usually a previous intestinal infection or giardiasis.
Acute appendicitis
Among all diseases of the abdominal cavity, it is diagnosed most often.
The main symptoms of appendicitis:the stomach hurts in the navel and the temperature rises to 37-38 degrees. The illness starts suddenly. At first, the patient complains of pain in different areas of the abdomen, but gradually it begins to shift to its lower right side. Additional symptoms are:
- dry mouth;
- weakness;
- constipation;
- increased pain when lying on left side;
- bloating.
On palpation, the patient feels a sharp pain, which will only get worse as the pressure decreases.
Acute appendicitis requires surgery.
Umbilical hernia
In addition to the fact that with a hernia, the stomach hurts in the navel and feels sick, you can also observe a visual manifestation of the problem - an oblong formation. The disease is also accompanied by:
- vomit;
- difficulty with chair;
- high gas production.
Pain in the presence of a hernia is sharp.
Abdominal migraine
Most often, adolescents suffer from the disease. It also affects people who are overly emotional, overworked or experiencing stress. The stomach in the navel can hurt from a couple of hours to several days. At the same time, other, no less unpleasant symptoms join:
- headache;
- vomit;
- diarrhea;
- stomach growling;
- pale skin;
- numbness of limbs.
Intestinal volvulus
Severe pain in the abdomen in the navel can also be due to intestinal volvulus. Usually ailmentoccurs suddenly. Sharp pains begin in the navel and in the right abdomen. There are also some additional signs of the disease, such as:
- constipation;
- painful spasms;
- vomit;
- flatulence.
Very often, patients take various antispasmodic drugs to suppress an unpleasant symptom. It is worth noting that they are effective and the pain recedes. It just comes back soon, because in order to completely eliminate it, it is necessary to cure a progressive disease.
Acute gastroenteritis
The disease is an inflammation of the intestines and stomach that can result from:
- food poisoning;
- infection with pathogens of salmonella, cholera, dysentery, E. coli;
- worm infestation;
- surgical interventions;
- toxic infections.
In addition to pain in the navel, gastroenteritis may be accompanied by:
- severe diarrhea (in some cases with blood impurities);
- repeated vomiting;
- weakness;
- dizzy.
Get rid of them by drinking plenty of water and taking enterosorbents.
Dysbacteriosis
With dysbacteriosis, the stomach in the navel can also hurt. In adults, a similar phenomenon occurs after prolonged use of antibiotics. In addition to discomfort in the stomach, it is often accompanied by indigestion and diarrhea.
Solving the problem is quite simple. Needundergo a course of treatment with special preparations that contain lacto- and bifidobacteria. For example, it could be Biokefir.
Crohn's disease
This disease usually occurs between the ages of 12-18 and is almost never diagnosed in adults. It is accompanied by:
- bloating;
- paroxysmal pain along the bowel;
- joint pain;
- bloody diarrhea.
Boys are the most affected.
Diverticulitis
When a diverticulum occurs (saccular formations from a thinned intestinal wall), the patient complains that he has a stomach ache in the navel and temperature. In addition, there are signs of intoxication of the body.
Such formations cannot disappear on their own. They are treated with antimicrobials or surgery.
Intestinal obstruction
In this case, the pain increases gradually and eventually becomes bursting, very strong. A disease occurs due to failures in the digestive process, lack of enzymes, dysbacteriosis, inflammation, tumors that disrupt the peristalsis of the small intestine.
When the intestines are obstructed, the food mass cannot move through it, as a result of which vomiting occurs, and stools and flatus are delayed.
Before prescribing therapy, the specialist will have to identify the cause of the problem. And this means that the patient will be hospitalized without fail.
Intestinalallergic reaction
The problem is caused by the presence of individual intolerance to certain foods. When they enter the intestine, the development of an allergic reaction begins. The process is accompanied by:
- nauseous;
- vomit;
- headache and dizziness;
- appearance of rashes on the body.
The most common allergens are dairy products, mushrooms and cane sugar.
Pancreatitis
In adult women and men, abdominal pain in the navel may also be due to chronic pancreatitis. This is due to insufficient intake of pancreatic enzymes in the intestine. As a rule, patients with pancreatitis often suffer from diarrhea.
Treatment of pancreatitis will consist in taking enzymatic preparations that will improve the breakdown of fats, proteins and carbohydrates. In the future, to avoid the recurrence of pain, the patient will have to stop drinking alcohol and follow a strict diet.
Intestinal cancer
Perhaps one of the worst causes of pain in the navel. Additional symptoms of bowel cancer would be:
- cramps;
- nausea;
- vomit;
- loss of appetite;
- stool retention;
- increased gas formation;
- drastic weight loss.
In most cases, neoplasms in the small intestine are of a benign type. Tumors are found there very rarely.
Other options
The most common options have been discussed above.
Persistent abdominal pain in the navel can be triggered by other diseases, such as:
- ulcer;
- gastritis;
- damage to the autonomic nervous system;
- cystitis;
- poor abdominal blood supply;
- pelvic inflammatory disease;
- abdominal aortic aneurysm;
- ovarian cancer;
- womb cancer;
- uterine fibroids.
Pregnancy and abdominal pain
If the stomach hurts in the navel during pregnancy, this does not always indicate the presence of serious diseases. Sometimes the reasons lie in the strong stretching of the skin in the later stages. As a rule, pain attacks in this case are short-lived. The only thing that can happen with strong skin tension is the appearance of stretch marks. There is nothing dangerous in this.
Also, the cause of discomfort and pain in the abdomen can be the displacement of the internal organs by the growing uterus or weakness of the abdominal muscles. If it is in them, then the situation normalizes independently almost immediately after the birth of the baby. The mom-to-be will just have to wait a bit.
Other causes of pain in the navel area that are not hazardous to the he alth of a pregnant woman include:
- Sprain and uterine tissue. The process is due to hormonal changes at the beginning of pregnancy and may be accompanied by slight discomfort.
- Growth of the uterus. Slight tingling or pulling pains begin to bother the expectant mother, starting from the 20th week of pregnancy.
- Decrease in intestinal peristalsis. Many expectant mothers suffer from this problem. It can occur as early as the second trimester of pregnancy. Due to the fact that the movement of food through the intestines slows down, the woman begins to complain of flatulence and constipation.
- Heavy weight gain.
- Active baby movements. In this case, the pain is short-term and occurs only during the activity of the baby.
At the same time, painful sensations often arise precisely because of ailments. This may be one of the options discussed above, or those that occur exclusively during pregnancy or only in women:
- placental abruption;
- damage to placental blood vessels;
- ectopic pregnancy (early);
- gynecological diseases;
- pathology of the genitourinary system.
A gynecologist should be consulted when pain is prolonged, accompanied by bloody discharge, fever over 37.6 degrees and other frightening symptoms.
What to do?
You can not ignore the signals of the body and try to figure out for yourself why the stomach hurts in the navel! It is important to remember that this is where most of the vital organs are concentrated:
- stomach;
- intestine;
- liver;
- pancreas;
- womb and appendages (in women).
When pain occurs, you need to call an ambulance, take a comfortable position (on your back, legs bent). It is not recommended to warm the abdomen, give an enema, and take painkillers, laxatives, or antidiarrheal drugs. During some diseases, this can provoke the development of complications and make further diagnosis difficult.
Also, do not give the patient food and drink until the doctor arrives.
Diagnosis of the cause of pain
Before prescribing treatment, the specialist must find out the cause of the pain.
A doctor cannot make a diagnosis based on the patient's complaints alone. You will need to pass one or more laboratory tests, as well as undergo additional examinations.
- Complete blood count. Its results will help determine the presence of inflammatory processes or an allergic reaction (an increase in ESR), signs of bleeding and anemia (a decrease in hemoglobin and red blood cells).
- Examination of feces for scatology. The presence of mucus, undigested food particles and so on is detected in it. With the help of bacteriosis, dysbacteriosis is detected and the cause of infectious enteritis is established.
- Analysis of feces for the Gregersen reaction. Helps to detect the appearance of blood particles. This is especially true in case of suspected ulcer bleeding.
- Taking a swab or scraping to detect helminths. It is not carried out in all cases, but only when such a need arises.
- X-ray. There are signs of intestinal obstruction, dyskinesia (atony, spasm), ulcerative changes (including Crohn's disease).
- Computed and magnetic resonance imaging.
- Video capsule. A modern device helps to examine all parts of the digestive tract within 8 hours. Thanks to the video capsule, you can assess the condition of the inner lining of the intestine, identify the presence of ulcers, tumors, cicatricial changes.
Treatment methods
So, we found out the main reasons why the stomach hurts in the navel. How to treat this or that disease, the gastroenterologist will tell you.
First of all, a decision will be made on the need for hospitalization of the patient. If during the examination there were no suspicions of the development of serious diseases, and the pain itself is rather weak, treatment is also allowed at home.
In any of the cases, drug therapy may include the use of several groups of drugs:
- Painkillers. They will help eliminate discomfort and relieve spasm. Most often prescribed drugs such as "No-shpa", "Papaverin", "Drotaverin". The required dosage will depend on the weight of the patient and is calculated on an individual basis. It is important to note that painkillers can be taken no more than three days in a row.
- "Phosphalugel". The drug is used during the treatment of many intestinal diseases and has practically no restrictions. The product perfectly neutralizes the acidity of the stomach, has an adsorbing and enveloping effect.
- Sorbents. Preparations from this group remove toxic substances from the body and relieve heartburn, bloating, and diarrhea. The most popular means are "Smekta",activated carbon, "Polysorb", "Enterosgel". But even such safe means have contraindications for use. They are strictly prohibited in case of violations of galactose absorption, lack of sucrose and intestinal obstruction.
- Preparations with enzymes. In most cases, Mezim, Pancreatin or Creon are prescribed. They improve motor function and eliminate the lack of enzymes in the digestive system.
At the same time, for each of the diseases, there is also a separate treatment plan, which the patient will be acquainted with in more detail after determining the final diagnosis.
Prevention measures
In most cases, the appearance of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and, as a result, pain in the navel, are associated with malnutrition and a sedentary lifestyle. Therefore, the main measure of prevention will be the exclusion of these factors.
Equally important is the timely treatment of chronic diseases in order to avoid their exacerbation.
We must not forget about regular preventive examinations that will help identify the problem even at the stage of its inception.
Be he althy!
